October 19th, 2011
Dear Family and Friends,
Today marks eight straight days of rain here in El Salvador. Most of the time it has been hard rain, pounding against the ground and affecting the Salvadoran people in ways most of us could have never imagined. Rain here is something completely different than the rain we know in the United States. Thirty-eight people have died, at least six are unaccounted for and more than thirty thousand people have been evacuated from their homes. These are people that myself and the other students in my program have fallen in love with and we are feeling their pain with them more than we could have ever expected.
One of the most important parts of this program is our praxis sites. I have spent two days a week for the last two months in a rural coffee growing town called Cedro. We spend our mornings with the kindergarten class, help in the community kitchen during lunch and visit families in the afternoons to better understand where they are coming from. Although it may seem like a small amount of time, Cedro has become my home here in El Salvador. When we walk down the road people say hello from scattered houses, the women are like aunts to us and the kids have completely stolen my heart. Every day at Cedro is a mix of heart breaking and beautiful as we come to further understand their suffering and are simultaneously amazed by the faith and joy they continue to hold onto. I have not been to Cedro for a week and a half now because of the rain and my heart is broken at the thought of the extreme suffering they are now experiencing.
When we call them they tell us “we are cold, wet and scared” some are out of food in their houses and are relying on the one meal a day that the community kitchen can supply them. Many cannot get there because of the four feet of rain that has fallen and turned the roads to mud. Landslides and falling trees are constant and make the roads extremely dangerous. Walls in some of the homes have fallen and many families are living in the school for the time being. Other homes have rivers running through them and leaks coming from they ceiling. They tell us they have no dry clothes and soon they will run out of food.
Many people work in the fields and others travel to the city everyday to find work. The road to the city is in shambles and people are unable to get in or out of Cedro to work. Almost more detrimental is that the rain has ruined much of the food in the fields. Corn is saturated with water and coffee beans that have just started to ripen have fallen from trees and been washed away by the rain.
Right now the people are suffering immensely, unable to bring in any money let alone food or warmth for their families. Yesterday we saw the first hint of blue sky in eight days, and today the rain is back. Yet even when the rain does stop, they have only overcome the beginning of all the challenges that are to come. Houses and roads need rebuilt, families are behind because of the vital days of work they have missed and parts of their fields will be ruined until next season.
Here in the Casa’s we are struggling at our inability to do much for the people that we love. My site is physically unreachable and others are unable to be with the people they love because of safety issues. We know we are not here to fix things and do not want to be the saviors but the country has declared a state of calamity and in these moments they need us more than ever. I am asking for your support in whatever form you can give. Love, thoughts and prayers are highly appreciated in themselves. If you or your place of work or study is able to donate financially you will help the people of El Salvador survive a crisis they deserve no more than any other part of the world. Rain should not have the power to kill and displace people from their homes. I think as members of this global community it is our responsibility to be aware of what is happening and to support each other in times of crisis.
Please contact me if you are interested in donating financially. You can either donate to disaster relief for the country as a whole or to Cedro specifically. The most effective way to benefit my community itself is for the money to come straight to me. I can keep track of the money and put it to what the community needs most at the time. I will be able to keep the receipts and tell you exactly where the money is going. My group and I will be gathering food and clothes to get to them as soon as possible and if money allows we will continue to support them through reconstruction. We will be spending part of our vacation next week in Cedro so we can accompany the people through this hard time. If you are more comfortable donating to the country as a whole you may do so through votb.org. Any money that I receive for Cedro that is not needed will also go straight to this organization. If you would like more information contact me or look into our local newspapers, La Prensa Grafica or El Diario de Hoy. If you know anyone who may be interested in donating please feel free to pass this letter on.
Many thanks for your time and any help you are able to give. It is greatly appreciated!
With Love and Gratitude,
Michelle
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